Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

The gap between our ethics and what we spend our money on - why does it exist, how can you bridge it and should brands be doing more?

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Do you worry about plastic packaging, perfumes tested on animals, or whether child labour was responsible for your jeans? How often do those values actually affect your spending?

Surveys suggest a majority of global consumers are concerned about the environment, animal welfare and workers' rights, but what we spend on ethical products is tiny in comparison.

So how do we explain this so-called ethical consumption gap and how difficult is it to bridge? Plus, who is at fault for the lack of spending on ethical goods - consumers, or the brands themselves? What response have companies made to growing ethical concerns, and can they be encouraged to do more?

Contributors: Marylyn Carrigan, professor of sustainable and ethical marketing at Keele University; William Sankey, founder and director of The Ethical Company Organisation; and Alden Wicker, founder and editor of the website EcoCult.

(Picture: A stressed young woman standing in front of a clothes rail. Credit: Getty Images)